Rongai Primary School – Satellite School in Nali Muru
Its Creation
In 2004, a small group of five- and six- year olds from the village of Nali Muru and
nearby villages were brought together for the first time in the form of a small nursery
class. They used a small building built by the church in Nali Muru as their classroom and
it is here that these 46 students in total came to school every weekday to learn the basics.
Within moments of beginning this nursery school initiative, the church decided to use this
building as its main church of Nali Muru. What we know as Rongai Primary School’s
satellite school which lies in the small village of Nali Muru did not have its own building.
They still continued the nursery classes with their only one teacher, this teacher catered to
all the nursery school students simultaneously. At the end of the year, when they were
ready to start Class One, they had to walk to the main school in Rongai village, the
Rongai Primary School; their age, typically seven- and eight- years old. Many parents
allowed their children to attend nursery school and soon, the school’s population
increased. There were some families in nearby areas who did not allow their children to
attend school because they were too young to walk through dense forest to get to school.
The parents felt more comfortable waiting until the children are slightly older before
sending them to school. Up until 2006, these school students of the satellite school in
Nali Muru, who had graduated and started Class One, had to walk for more than five
kilometers to get to their primary school in the village of Rongai.
In late 2005, two students were badly injured and murdered on their way back from the
main Rongai Primary School in Rongai. They were Class One students who were
walking home and the murderer remains unknown. This alarmed the parents and the
communities of this area and the case made it to the government. Within days, they had
agreed to start a Class One at the satellite school in Nali Muru adding on to the nursery
school. In January 2006, a new schedule had been created for this satellite school; Class
One students, with a total population of 107 students, meet from 8 a.m. – 11.30 a.m., and
Nursery School students, meet from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m; everyone continues to be taught by
the same one teacher. As with many schools, this satellite school is faced with a number
of problems. The church would like to use its building solely for church purposes, and
not as a place for school learning. This has placed a strain on the satellite school but
thankfully, with the help of Algonquin College, the students now have a new school
building, which will officially open its door to the students as early as January 2007. This
satellite school hopes to begin Class Two classes so that students don’t have to walk for
long distances at such an early age, to attend school. Rongai Primary School and its
satellite school have a mission of educating students as easily and convenient as possible,
however, the satellite school has to first overcome many obstacles and problems. Some of
these problems, such as a shortage of school supplies, have just been solved by the
Canadian team bringing in all kinds of school supplies from Canada.
For an overview of some of these problems, please read the documents named
RongaiPrimarySchoolConcerns1 (problems conveyed by the satellite school students)
and RongaiPrimarySchoolConcerns2 (problems conveyed by the satellite school teacher)
MultiMedia:
-Video
 Overview of the Rongai Primary School
-Pictures
 SatelliteSchool1- Class One students participating in class activities
 SatelliteSchool2- Class One students participating in class activities
 SatelliteSchool3- A young Class One student standing in front of the class room
sharing a story with her classmates
 SatelliteSchool4- The young student with her classmates as she tells her story
 SatelliteSchool5- A young Class One student reading for her class
 SatelliteSchool6- A young Class One student reading for his class
 SatelliteSchool7- Students participating in class activities
 SatelliteSchool8- Children singing in class
 SatelliteSchool9- Class One students